The Fall of the Roman Empire Page #2

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But he is interested only

in games and gladiators.

But it was you, Caesar,

who brought me into your family.

Commodus and I are like brothers.

I love Commodus, too.

But that's just a feeling.

A personal feeling.

My lord, Caesar.

Prince Commodus sends you his greetings.

He is in the snow country,

two days' journey from here.

Perhaps, I should meet Commodus,

my lord, Caesar.

- Yes, Livius. Go to meet him.

And think about what I said

but remember my time is short.

Even though Commodus is my brother,

I would have done as you did, father.

And would you also have chosen Livius?

Yes!

Yes.

Only...

Why did he hesitate?

If he'd not been the kind of man

who hesitates when faced

with such a great responsibility

I would not have chosen him.

Come and sit by me.

Let me look at you.

Are you happy?

You seem reasonably happy, and yet...

And yet, father?

A disturbing whisper reached me

that you thought once of retiring to

the temple of Vesta.

I know it is too simple to think of life

as either beautiful or ugly.

But there was a time

when life seemed very ugly to me.

It was because of your mother.

I was ashamed.

And she brought you such pain.

I knew moments of happiness with her,

and beauty.

But she looked for love elsewhere,

since she could not love me.

You, the best. The greatest of men.

Is that the way it must be, father?

Only moments of beauty

and then, betrayal.

We must try to

understand other people more.

Understand cruelty and weakness?

Even that.

You have such a gift for life, Lucilla.

But I think you ask too much of it.

Learn to pity.

Learn to have compassion.

For yourself, too.

Pity and compassion to yourself.

The future will make

great demands on you.

Oh, father.

Livius!

Livius!

Livius!

Commodus!

Commodus!

Livius!

Gaius Livius! Warrior! Voyager!

Commodus, Commodus!

Most Roman of them all!

I've missed you!

Are you well?

I'm never unwell!

I have much to tell you.

And I you!

We've all come up from Rome.

Virgilianus!

Niger! Claudius!

Father.

I've seen too little of you.

That was not my wish.

Nor mine.

But this wars have been endless.

Endless because,

You were too gentle.

I would have fought

these wars differently.

There's a lot we do

differently, Commodus.

I wish you could have

come to Rome more often.

There's a new generation there,

there's a whole new feeling.

You mean I'm getting old,

senile perhaps.

Rome has changed since you were there.

Rome has changed.

It is now crawling with gladiators.

Sister,

I thought you'd retired as a Vestal virgin.

And abandon Rome to you?

And your athletes?

Female philosopher!

As I remembered, you two

began to quarrel as soon as

you could walk. I expect you're tired.

And thirsty.

We'll talk together soon.

Come, let us find some wine...

The tribunes, Polybius and Victorinus.

We have fought four campaigns together.

Ferilus, the greatest

gladiator of all Rome,

survivor of a hundred combats.

We've come to fight your battles.

Gladiators to fight as soldiers...

Why not?

We'll teach your legionaires how to kill.

Let's have some wine.

Marcus Aurelius, our Caesar...

does not look well.

Dying men never do.

But you knew Caesar was dying.

What else could have

pulled you and your kind away

from the city of Rome.

You know, Livius...

it's when I'm with you,

that I feel... good.

Safe.

Don't ever change.

Caesar was just telling me

I should change.

Oh, father thinks too much.

There is much for a Roman

to think of these days.

Why Livius,

For a moment that honest warrior's face

of yours took on the philosopher's look.

Let's not think, let's drink.

As in the old days?

As in the old days.

Did you study logic?

Do you know what a dilemma is?

A dilemma.

Is...

When there are only two possibilities

and both of them are impossible.

That is a dilemma.

Drink with me.

Now drink with me.

Drink with me!

I'm Caesar's son,

I could have you burned alive!

Why Livius...

My friend.

My brother.

Something is struggling you, isn't it?

Your father...

has asked me...

to be his heir.

My own father.

But I'm his son.

He must hate me very much.

He does not hate you.

I did not ask for this, Commodus.

Nor did you refuse.

Ask me to refuse!

Ask you?

If you listen carefully...

you will hear the gods...

you will hear the gods laughing.

I do not hear them laughing.

You will do what the gods decide!

She is for you.

She thinks.

Livius.

Livius.

Lucilla.

Lucilla!

Have you finished

with Commodus and wine?

My world has suddenly become strange.

I'm not sure where I am.

I'm sure of only one thing.

I love you, Lucilla.

If you are so sure,

why did it take you so long?

I think I must have known

all these years.

I must have been certain

that one day this would happen.

Known, yet not known.

Known and not known?

How can that be?

I'm not sure how it was.

But I know now.

You were always with me.

Everywhere.

I took you into battle with me.

You were with me in the gold fields.

But you know this.

Only this.

I know this.

You were with me, too.

Always!

There were times when I wanted to

run away from life,

I did not because I told myself that...

one day...

you will be with me.

I want to be with you

for the rest of my life.

For I love you.

Do you, Livius?

Bring him back to me safely.

Bring him back to me quickly.

Make him love me forever.

Get these men back behind the lines.

We're setting a trap for Balimar.

I will lead the attack.

The men we send first into battle

Will be used as bait.

Many will die.

It will be especially

dangerous for their leader.

We will be the first into this battle.

We will be your bait.

And if I die,

then the gods were not with me.

Then Livius, my friend...

my brother...

will it not relieve you

of a great burden?

At the command

you will lead your men forward.

You will move deeper

and deeper into that forest,

until the barbarians are convinced

that it is safe to attack.

You will stand and hold until

we move in and close the trap.

We will stand and hold.

Balimar!

Balimar has escaped,

because some of your gladiators

were cowards.

Father...

Father.

It has been decided, Lucilla.

Armenia and Rome will become even closer.

A part of Rome,

a lovely part,

will become Armenia.

Lucilla,

I want you to take care of these.

I wrote them while campaigning

in these forests.

I will watch over them, father.

I have tried to convince myself,

but my fears for

the empire are unreasonable.

But my fears are reasonable.

The east, Lucilla,

is where our danger lies.

We must make an alliance

that will show the whole world

what value Rome places on

her eastern frontier.

An alliance with Armenia.

And so...

Caesar must give his daughter

in marriage

to the king of Armenia.

I had hoped the gods would be kind.

I had hoped you would not

have to marriage without love.

Father...

You know better than anyone

what a marriage without love can mean.

Yes.

Yes. I do.

I know you love me.

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